World of Street Racing: Japan Supremacy
by Oldskoolkammy
Summary: The hardcore atmosphere of the Underground. The corruption of a police empire. Between it all is 20-year-old Hiromusi Matsudaira. Every race and every action tests her will and her instinct, both of which she'll need to survive.
1. X: Pilot

**Chapter 0: Pilot**

**Location: **Kyoto City Police Department in Kyoto, Japan

**Date/Time: **August 12, 2007; 2:02 PM

"I got busted for street racing again, and the racing didn't even happen on the streets last night. What kind of incompetent motherfuckers are these Japanese cops? Now because of them, I have to actually be one of them until my one-year probation is up. It isn't all bad, though, as the cops supplied me with handcuffs, a pistol, and a 2005 Honda NSX. I may as well get this over with. The quiet I stay, the better..."

Satoshi Ihara and Katsuko Oimikado, two officers of the newly formed Street Racing Syndicate, a division of the entire Japanese Street Racing Patrol, or JSRP, contained 20-year-old Hiromusi Matsudaira to Chief Kazutoshi Kobayashi for "presumably" street racing with 7 others in Kyotanabe. The other racers were not identified except for her and one other female driver, but Satoshi and Katsuko stopped the race before it began and apprehended the people involved. Hiromusi's car was a black 2005 Honda NSX, which she engine-swapped, tuned, and modded herself.

"Here's the suspect, Chief" said Katsuko. "Arrested on the grounds of illegal street racing."

Satoshi and Katsuko leave Hiromusi and Chief Kobayashi in the office.

"Another one" said Kobayashi with much displeasure. "They don't pay me enough to do this job."

"Quick question, chief" Hiromusi asked. "What kind of police department has the gall to literally step outside their boundaries, go into what may not have been a street race, and bust it without any undeniable proof?!"

"The kind that won't take any bullshit from the racers themselves" he answered. "This may just be your second impound, but you have already rose up to #2 on Japan's blacklist, missy."

"And you just put me there from the word "Go", I presume?"

"Look, as one of my new cops, you are to take out street racing in Japan permanently. In a few days or so, we will start locking down cities to assure that. This blacklist is a start."

Chief Kobayashi handed Hiromusi a list of the top ten notorious street racers in Japan. The list read like so:

Wakatsuki, Kenji

2003 Honda S2000

Warning Level: High (5)

Bounty: $401,000

Matsudaira, Hiromusi

2005 Honda NSX

Warning Level: Severe (6)

Bounty: $394,000

McCrea, Ronnie

1998 Toyota Supra MK IV

Warning Level: High (5)

Bounty: $383,000

Diaz, Isabel

2005 Mazda RX-8

Warning Level: High (5)

Bounty: $367,000

Hamamoto, Yoshio

1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R [R34]

Warning Level: High (5)

Bounty: $335,000

Kimura, Kasumi

2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STi

Warning Level: Intermediate (4)

Bounty: $316,000

Nakazato, Kira

2004 Mercedes-Benz CLK 500

Warning Level: Mediocre (3)

Bounty: $297,000

Watanabe, Kanzeko

1995 Mazda RX-7 [FD3S]

Warning Level: Minimal (1)

Bounty: $266,000

James, Eugene

2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII

Warning Level: Low (2)

Bounty: $219,000

Suzuki, Ryo

1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX

Warning Level: Minimal (1)

Bounty: $172,000

Hiromusi, though she didn't bother with the fact that her name was near the top of the blacklist, noticed Kanzeko's name all the way at the #8 spot. Her content mood had now transformed into an endless rage, for as it seemed, Kanzeko had defeated her the night before the busted race.

"Because if you decline my offer" said Chief Kobayashi, issuing another threat, "don't expect to get to your house anytime soon..."

"So... what's my first assignment?" Hiromusi asked, trapped with a difficult decision.

"Rumor has it that the race is going to go down again, this time in Downtown Tokyo. I need you to go there and see what's up."

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

**Location: **Streets of Downtown Tokyo

**Date/Time: **August 12, 2007; 10:19 PM

"Konoe? Konoe! KONOE!" screamed 19-year-old Kanzeko Watanabe, founder of the Nagasaki Yakuza, to one of her crew members, Toshiyuki Konoe. "I need you to go get Hiro from the JDM parking lot; there's something wrong with my FD's six-speed transmission!"

As Toshiyuki ran to Hiro Imadegawa, the crew's mechanic, both Kanzeko and her fabricator, Asuka Hiiragi, spotted a black 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX, driven by the founder of Central Kyoto's ImportMachine founder, Ryo Suzuki (half African-American, half Japanese). Among the crowd of spectators was a pink 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STi, the driver being unknown at the time. It was the true atmosphere of the popular Japanese import scene. Showcasing of JDM cars (especially the engines), photography of the cars with models, and especially the conversations concerning them. And then, the night officially began, when Kanzeko, Ryo, Jun Yamashina (Fire Fox Nissan 180SX), Minoru Saionji (Insane Ninja Mazda RX-7), Honami Sato (Japanese Blaze Honda S2000), Takeo Shimizu (Poison Flame Mazda RX-8), Mai Inokuma (Alien Blade Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX), and Shoda Minase (Setsuna V3 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII) began the race from Downtown Tokyo to Kyotanabe. In the first segment, Kanzeko had a large lead over the pack, with Ryo in 2nd, and Mai in 3rd. Shoda Minase, who was originally 4th, totaled his Lancer Evo into traffic, along with Takeo, who also had a blown engine. Halfway to Kyotanabe on the Shuto Expressway, Kanzeko remained in the lead, but Ryo closed the gap between himself and Kanzeko. Honami Sato caught up with Ryo and left both Mai Inokuma and Minoru Saionji in the dust. Coming to Kyotanabe, the Yakuza and Ryo's friends, Kamikaze "Kami" Nakamura and Takeshi Hiroyori gathered near the finish line.

Coming in first was Kanzeko Watanabe, getting $8,000 from the race. Honami Sato, having come immeasurably close to passing Kanzeko, cried, even though the second place prize was $4,000. Ryo, being third, earned $2,000, whereas the fourth place racer, Minoru Saionji, only took $1,000. About three minutes later Mai Inokuma and Jun Yamashina came in 5th and 6th, both going empty handed.

"Another small fish out of his depth" said Kanzeko, rubbing her spoils in Ryo's face bluntly. "It seems that my Yakuza owns this part of Tokyo now. Now get--"

"COPS! COPS!" Toshiyuki yelled, panicking. "WE'VE GOT COPS! THEY'RE COMING!"

"Konoe?!" she screamed. She quickly got back in her RX-7 and sped off, as well as most of the racers and spectators. Ryo did manage to peel out, but by then Hiromusi arrived and stopped him with the support of two other cops. Kami and Takeshi quickly disappeared to avoid the same mistake Ryo made.

Later that night, Kanzeko put her newly acquired Tokyo territory and half her winnings down against the founder of Chaos Komodo, Kenji Wakatsuki. Unfortunately, she lost and was forced back to Nagasaki. This was only the beginning of what was to come. The street racing war had thus unfolded in the blink of an eye.


	2. 1: Prologue

**BEGIN CIRCUIT 1: UNDERGROUND**

"I made my first arrest in Kyotanabe last night. It seemed wrong but it feels so good. Maybe now Chief Kobayashi can reduce my sentence on this crappy probation. The guy quickly gave me a high-powered NSX for my job and let me be the first to say that this car goes like stink. Tops 200 easily. I would have caught Minoru Saionji and Honami Sato if not for that jackass in the black RX-7, Kanzeko Watanabe. Speaking of which, she beat me earlier in 2004 on the way to the Shuto Expressway. Seems like I have a new objective alreaedy, impound Suzuki, take out Kanzeko, then I'm home free.

To Whom it May Concern,

Hiromusi "Dark Scarlet" Matsudaira

**Chapter 1: "Prologue..."**

"Kyoto - home", said a figure laying down in a prison bed, looking up at the ceiling. "Home to many. War veterans, talented chefs, and even martial arts teachers. But there is another group living in Kyoto: street racers. Street racing has taken place on the highways and on the interstate since 1989. As a result, the Kyoto Prefecture Police Department has developed a Street Racing Syndicate (or SRS), with the two who arrested me – Hiromusi Matsudaira, head of the whole bandwagon, and her dim-wit partner, Satoshi Ihara – as the top dogs--"

The inmate talking in the bed was Ryo Suzuki, who was recently busted for street racing for the second time this month. Soon after his low-volume rant, he heard clanking sounds, which were more than likely a nightstick beating against the iron bars. He saw a police officer standing in front of his cell, unlocking the door. There was a taxi up front to take him back to the city of Kyoto.

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

Ryo was ecstatic at first, up until he saw that two police officers stopped the taxi dead in its tracks. Those two officers were the SRS's ringmasters, Captain Hiromusi Matsudaira and Police Officer Satoshi Ihara. There was a third officer, Police Sergeant Katsuko Oimikado, holding a loudspeaker as both Hiromusi and Satoshi held up their firearms in self defense. "This is the Kyoto Prefecture Police Department. Passenger, come out with your hands up", exclaimed Katsuko over the loudspeaker. After a few seconds of unresponsive action, Hiromusi went to the taxi and confronted Ryo.

"Give it up, Ryo, we all know that's you. Out of the car."

"I should have known. If it ain't our friendly neighborhood police Captain Hiromusi Matsudaira."

"Aw, that's so sweet of you. Don't argue with me, Ryo. I don't have time for your childish bibble-babble."

Ryo finally obeyed Hiromusi and got out of the car. During the transfer from the taxi to her pink undercover Honda NSX, Satoshi noticed in Ryo's pockets a $2,000 bundle.

"Well, what do we have here?", asked Satoshi, showing the bundle to Hiromusi.

"Hey, that's my paper, dude. That's money", proclaimed Ryo in panic.

"Street racer money from the looks of it", Hiromusi concluded. "Now listen, Ryo. It's a well-known fact that nobody in the slums can acquire $2,000 under the age of 21. And plus, you were driving your Eclipse last night. Now... let's add the evidence up; raised in the slums, tricked-out Eclipse seen last night, $2,000 bundle in back pocket... Geez, Ryo! You're just like Wakatsuki, only not as successful."

Having nothings to his defense, Ryo silently got into the back of the car, handcuffs tightly fastened. And after a quick "Hey you, get lost!" from Satoshi to the taxi driver, he and Hiromusi entered the car and drove away, leaving Katsuko behind.

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

Some time into the drive, Hiromusi felt a need to ask Ryo what was in his future. "So tell me, Ryo. What do you plan on doing now that you're lucky you haven't dropped the soap?"

"I'm going to take back the streets of Kyoto. You know that, Hiromusi."

"Why?"

"Because those cheating fucks of Chaos Komodo set me up for the bust..."

"...then sped away, with the territory."

"That excuse is a week old and I'm not buying it. Don't think just because this is only your second bust that I'll ease up off of you."

Hiromusi dug deeper into Ryo's pockets and found a few tools.

"What the fuck? You're hot-wiring other people's cars now?! Gee whiz, man! See, it's not a wonder why your sentences are longer tan expected, because you're not only a street racer, you're a burglar on top of that."

"What?! What are you talking about? Those are not my tools! It was--"

"Nope!", Hiromusi shouted, stopping Ryo briefly.

"But I--"

"Nope!"

"It's obviously--"

"Nope! Shut up!"

"I'm telling you the truth, you stupid--"

"Don't bullshit me, Ryo!", scolded an enraged Hiromusi.

"Yeah, don't bullshit a beautiful girl like her, Ryo!"

Hiromusi did give a sweet reply to Satoshi, but she originally thought he was a kiss-up, trying to take her job.

"You're pathetic, Suzuki", proclaimed Hiromusi, her voice sounding as if she was very disappointed. "Blaming the other team for _your_ actions. Pitiful, just pitiful. It baffles me why the government allows people like you on the streets."

Satoshi whispered for a brief moment in Hiromusi's ear. After he was finished, she obtained a new attitude towards Ryo.

"You know what?"

"What? You're going to talk to me like you were my own mother now?"

"No... I've got no grudge against you, it's just that I despise illegal street racing with an unholy passion."

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

"We've been driving for the past hour and a half. Where are we anyway?"

"What ward, you ask? We're in Sakyo-ku."

"Sak-- WHAT?! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME HERE! THIS IS YAKUZA COUNTRY!"

What was that, Ryo? I thought you didn't care about the Yakuza anymore? That you didn't want to see my pretty face again?"

Ten minutes later, Satoshi whispered to Hiromusi again. When the car finally came to a complete stop, Ryo found himself in front of a junkyard in the middle of Sakyo-ku.

"Our next stop, Hirohata's Junkyard a.k.a the Street Racing Syndicate's impound lot. I've brought you here for a reason: because you'll need your whip if you want to take back Kyoto, as you say. So take care, and until we meet again, try not to outrun any more officers of the Syndicate."

"Oh man... do you hate me for personal reasons? I swear, you must sit up at night thinking of ways to express your hatred towards me!"

"Ok, I've heard enough. Out of the car."

"Ha ha, whatever. I never wanted to be in this car again anyway."

"Seeing as you want back in on the scene, you'll eventually see my NSX again. But then again, who am I to predict, you know?"

Right after Ryo got out of Hiromusi's car, the radio began sending garbled messages, the sender being Police Officer Masato Shimizu.

"Attention patrol division, we have a street racing report of multiple code six drivers followed by police and requesting backup, all available units directed to clear up to provide cover."

"Where, Officer Shimizu?" Satoshi shouted. "WHERE, DAMMIT?!"

"They're now headed into the ward of Fushimi-ku! Speed has exceeded 180!"

"WHAT?! Backup is on the way and whatever you do, DO NOT LOSE THOSE CARS!"

"See you around, Ryo, like sushi", Hiromusi shouted confidently.

Both Hiromusi and Satoshi entered the car again after dropping Ryo off at the impound lot and sped off, responding to the call. Ryo turned facing the junkyard, where his Eclipse supposedly was sitting.

Oh shit, here we go again, Ryo thought. I'm in the worst place to be in Japan; Nagasaki's Yakuza Shogun country. I haven't represented Kyoto's ImportMachine in six months, but knowing the Yakuza, they won't give two shits, and neither will Hiromusi. But wait... Fushimi-ku. That's near Kyotanabe, where my best friend Kami--

"HOLY SHIT."

Ryo sprinted to the Eclipse and began looking for the keys, wondering where Hiromusi placed them. After he found them on a bench, he quickly darted his car out of the parking lot, heading to Kyotanabe.


	3. 2: Kami Takeshi Yoshio

**Chapter 2: "Kami and Takeshi" / "Yoshio Hamamoto"  
Location: Kami's Apartment in Kyotanabe, Kyoto**

It took about a two hour trip to get to Kyotanabe for Ryo, and prior to the end of that time segment, the chase moved to Higashiyama-ku. As he entered Kamikaze Nakamura's neighborhood, he saw two more SRS members, but he was considered lucky that it was neither Hiromusi nor Satoshi. It wasn't much, though, as he was stopped and inspected by them as well.

"Stop right there, sir."

A few minutes passed as the inspection took place.

"You're cleared to go."

He reached the cul-de-sac with Kami's house being on the far left. On the sidewalks were other members of ImportMachine, as well as a few from Northern Kyoto (The Japanese Serpent) and Southern Kyoto (Tanaka Inc. - the original Mid Night Club – with Suki Tanaka as the CEO). Some praised his Eclipse, while others criticized it. It took all of his urges to keep from breaking the speed limit, but he managed to reach the parking lot in front of Kami's house. Ryo walked up to the front porch, right up to the door. He rang the doorbell about three times, but to no avail.

"Hello? Nakamura-san? Anyone?"

"Yes?"

"It's me, Ryo Suzuki. Is Kami in?"

"Wait just one second..."

Kami took a few moments to get herself prepared for Ryo's arrival, but it's not in a manner that he depicted.

"It's open..."

And as soon as he opened the door, Kami went on the sudden attack with one razor-sharp katana in hand."

"YOU PICKED THE WRONG HOUSE, YAKUZA FOOL!"

"Hey, wait a minute. Wait! Kami! Kami, it's me! IT'S ME, CHILL, CHILL!"

"Ryo?"

Kami had paused for a minute to recollect herself. When Ryo got busted for a second time, she cried herself to sleep. She came to a conclusion that illegal street racing was the cause of all the trouble, and during Ryo's sentence, she vowed to never touch her Nissan Sentra again (even though it was destroyed from a bullet to the gas tank). Now, after seeing him again, Kami burst into tears and hugged him tightly.

"Oh, Ryo! You're alive! I thought you were going to be there forever!"

"With how biased Hiromusi is nowadays, that isn't hard to believe. It's bad enough she accused me for racing AGAIN, now she's pointing fingers at me for shit I didn't even do, hot wiring, which is how she found tools in my back pocket!"

"You have tools? Interesting. Can I look at those for a second?" Kami asked.

Ryo hands her the tools, but not before he heard a noise in Kami's basement.

"What the fuck?" he complained. "I HATE THIS GAME! Fuck this!"

Ryo went to the basement to see who was ranting and raving. To his surprise, he found Takeshi Hiroyori lying on the couch, face down in the pillows.

"Hey, Tak. What's wrong with you now?"

"You want to know what's wrong with me? Nothing, it's this stupid game. This... is... bullshit hard!"

"What, Dark Shogun: Yoshimitsu no Nazo? Come on, Tak, I love this game. Challenging in every single way. You probably just suck at it."

"Oh, okay. Fucking fanboy. Doesn't know a bad game when he sees one..."

When Takeshi turned Kami's only game console off, a news broadcast took it's place on the screen. The broadcast was related to the chase Hiromusi and Satoshi participated in.

"This just in", the news reporter declared. "We have just received reports from the Street Racing Syndicate that the chase of the cyan Nissan R34 GT-R and the lavender Subaru WRX STi has now ended. However, the two suspects must have worn out the officers because they have fled from Higashiyama-ku. They also have claimed this and other reports have found it to be true. The R34 driver is male, while the WRX STi driver is female. Repeat, R34 is male, WRX is female. They have been last seen north to what may be Maizuru. If anyone sees one of the two suspects, please contact the Street Racing Syndicate headquarters in Kyoto, Maizuru, or Kyotanabe immediately."

"Hey, I know that R34, that's Yoshio! Maybe you can recruit him onto ImportMachine", Kami said.

"Who?" asked Takeshi.

"Yoshio Hamamoto, you dumb fuck. He's a fabricator over at Maizuru. He has a cousin that had my new Supra fixed at over 900 horses, and your RX-7 at over 600.

"Oh!"

"Let's go, we can pick up both of our cars there, Care to drive, Ryo?"

"I don't see why not..."

"Ooh, nice car, Ryo."

"You know me. It's real street style. No decals, no numbers, no spoilers, just pure Japanese design. Oh, and did you ever catch the girl in the WRX, Kami?"

"No, I never did. I'll have to figure that out..."

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

Both Yoshio and the WRX STi driver pulled into the J-Style customs shop, north of Hirohata's junkyard 15 minutes after the news report. Yoshio got immediately out of his car, while the girl took some time fixing her hair after taking off her helmet.

"Whew! Remind me never to eat at that noodle place again!", the girl said, expressing her hate for not only having distasteful dishes (for her taste) but for "ratting them out", provoking the chase.

"Oh, blaming it on noodle shops – I saw nothing suspicious about the Bayshore Noodle Place EVEN THOUGH IT WAS SATOSHI'S FAVORITE RESTAURANT! YOU IMBECILE!"

"Imbecile?! How dare you call me an imbecile!"

"Kasumi, you are a really smart girl, both under the hood and in class, but seriously, on the streets, you are CLUELESS!"

During the quarrel, Ryo, Kami, and Takeshi arrived at the shop to pick up the Supra and the RX-7.

"There's Yoshio and his cousin right there, always arguing. Girl's a total screw job and can knock any cop off the road. She has a very clean record, too; she knows how to get away before the chase even starts, like she has a map of the Kyoto Prefecture in her hand."

The fight between Yoshio and Kasumi, up to a point where Kasumi headed back for home.

"It's called shortcuts! It's called staying off the road, consistently! Idiot!"

"But my car was faster than any of those Skylines! There was no way they should have stayed on to me! It should have taken them forever to catch me!"

"You wouldn't last long, the way your car has a long 5th and 6th gear! You imbecile! What do you know about custom-tuned? JACK FUCKING SHIT!"

"Fuck you, Yoshio. You are such an ass, plus you act like you're never to blame for stuff like this!"

Kasumi then held her nose up high and drove away.

"Hey, Yoshio, where's our rides?", Kami asked Yoshio while refraining from bringing up the recent conflict with Kasumi.

"Over there", he replied, pointing to two cars sitting in a parking lot.

"Oh my—UGHHHHHH! This is really fucked up ON EVERY LEVEL! EV-ER-Y LEVEL!!!"

Ryo, who was the closest to Yoshio at the time, asked, "What do you mean?"

"Apart from your car bring one impound away from scraps? First, my cousin is blaming A NOODLE SHOP for being spotted by the SRS when she clearly blurted out the plan to go drag racing at the Daikoku Futo earlier today. She took it further by disrespecting the SRS and then it evolved from there."

"Wow."

"Then, there's Hiromusi Matsudaira. I dare you to find a street racer where she has not acted biased towards. If you have even a new spoiler on your ride, she will bust you with the thought that you have been out on the streets even though you know you haven't... and you get impounded. Take a look..."

Yoshio pulls out a tape from his car's glove compartment of a past chase involving Hiromusi and an RX-8 on the Shuto Expressway. About 2 minutes into it, Hiromusi quickly takes down the RX-8 and gets the arrest.

"It wasn't even RICED IN THE SLIGHTEST!"

"Wow, she's quick", said Ryo. "She never plays around when it comes to street racing."

"Know what's even better? Hiromusi was driving a Mitsubishi GTO. She wasn't in her NSX. I've been in her line of sight a lot to know the difference between her NSX and a GTO. Watch this, you'll be interested."

Ryo paid close attention as Hiromusi began speaking on the news report.

"I seriously am stupefied why this problem continues to escalate", Hiromusi declared. "As long as the SRS is in effect, we will continue to fight this endless problem in Kyoto."

"Okay, I have to say something here. Sorry, Ryo", said Yoshio, stopping the tape. "Hey, Moosie, maybe you haven't heard by now, but street racing is in twelve different prefectures other than Kyoto now. Your only evidence to support your beliefs is that the races are more active here than other prefectures. Why do you think you always see activity from said location? Not to mention, I've seen bigger crowds in Nagasaki, in Hokkaido, and every other city in Japan, let alone under the sun. What, is Kyoto the only place you've seen that, or are you fucking biased at birth? This is why I hate Hiromusi: because of this illogical bullshit thrown out left and right, yet she's been considered the greatest human being of all time and I'm given shit all day long. She makes inaccuracies this, doesn't even consider other prefectures, and she's driving a GTO!"

Well, maybe you can join the ImportMachine crew", said Kami from outside the shack. "We can help you expose Hiromusi."

"Good idea, consider it done. Besides, I need some work anyway..."


	4. 3: Ryo's Race To Kyoto City

**Chapter 3: "Ryo's race to Kyoto City"**

"Seriously, 2 minutes of Hiromusi saying she's patrolling Kyoto to prevent something that's happening in every city under the sun" Yoshio continued. "What about Hiroshima? What about those drift battles they have on the interstate? Well, shouldn't you go after them too because – well, I don't know – there's a possibility that the drifter might lose control and kill themselves in the process!"

Kami went over to the parking lot to pick up her car, while Takeshi was sitting on a bench, which provided a bit of a view of the road. He spotted a black Mitsubishi Lancer, Nissan 350Z, and a Honda Civic Coupe Si, - Sadatake, Kazushi, and Mizuki Tanaka – all with a tiger on the side and kanji on either side of the hood, and one Toyota Supra across the road.

"Heads up! Tanaka clan! Suki's coming!"

"Now?", Yoshio wondered. "What the fuck does she want this time?"

While the others parked on the opposite side, Suki Tanaka parked right next to Ryo with the blades of her Supra's front bumper close to his leg. She and the other Tanakas walked past Takeshi with a push, and walked past both Kami and Yoshio with a blank stare. They all stopped as soon as they got to Ryo.

"So... you're back on the scene, I see" said Suki in low volume.

"Yeah, what about it?" Ryo replied.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to tell you something: watch your back out there. Some people work for the police, some will rat out others for money, and even for pink slips."

"Quit the conspiracy bullshit, Suki" said Yoshio. "What are you really here for?"

"Fine, since you found me out. I"m here to challenge you to a race, Ryo Suzuki."

A big "What?!" came from both Kami and Takeshi. Yoshio, however, remained calm.

"You can not be serious" was all Ryo had to say. "You want me to race you... without having my car tuned? You're crazy. You really are."

"What's the matter, Suzuki?" Afraid to run stock? It seems to me that your car is all show and no go."

"Oh, like your car is a deadly sleeper" Yoshio said. "The only thing stock on that Supra of yours is the interior."

"Shut it, Hamamoto. And besides, doesn't Kimura hold the power tools in this company?"

"Kimura?" was what came from Ryo, Kami, and Takeshi.

"Yes, that's my cousin's last name" Yoshio answered.

"So, Suzuki, are you in or not?"

After looking around to his friends and Yoshio, Ryo finally accepted her challenge.

"Good. You still have some decency left in you."

Suki then snaps her fingers and indicates Mizuki to fetch her car keys. Ryo began to look for his Eclipse, but couldn't find it. But when he got to the "Performance" garage, he found the car sitting there, hood down.

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

Five hours later (10:00), after grabbing lunch, Suki returned to the front of the customs shop, where Ryo was awaiting the start of the race. Takeshi and Yoshio were both in their respective cars, whereas Kami was next to Ryo's car with a flag in hand, ready to start. As Suki pulled up to Ryo and rolled her window down, the other Tanakas lined up to the side of the side of the street, as ImportMachine did the same.

"May the best tuner win", he said in a sportsman-like manner.

"I plan to", Suki replied, obviously not caring. "I suggest you keep a reasonable distance or else you'll end up choking on my exhaust fumes."

Kami dropped the flag giving the signal to go, and both Ryo and Suki took off at that moment. Following them was Yoshio and Kazushi, then Takeshi and Mizuki, and finally, Kami and Sadatake.

Meanwhile, Hiromusi held an SRS meeting concerning most issues including the failed pursuit of Yoshio and Kasumi. Next to her was Satoshio, whom she slapped for not focusing on the chase rather than his stomach.

"Well, people, street racing is escalating again. It has gone up to a point where we can't even nab an S13 at factory performance! Everything has gone down the shitter since the Hamamoto-Kimura chase!"

"Well, what should we do about it?" asked an officer in the back row.

"I say we--"

"Oh, this would have been an open-and-shut case if you just let me use that shortcut!" said Satoshi angrily.

"Um, Satoshi, I did, and... NEWSFLASH! IT WAS YOUR FUCKING SHORTCUT THAT CAUSED US TO LOSE THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!"

"Really?" asked Katsuko. "Well, considering that most of our force was made up of Mitsubishi GTOs, we should have at least gotten one of the two BEFORE the shourtcut. I wonder if it's impossible to catch an R34 built the same way as Hamamoto's was."

"Well, Hamamoto is a given", said Hiromusi, "seeing as he has a 900 horsepower engine inside that GT-R, but there was absolutely NO EXCUSE FOR LOSING KIMURA!"

"I agree", said Katsuko.

"Don't take her side, Katsuko!"

"No, she's right. If I remember correctly, the drive train of a WRX has a long 5th and 6th gear, making driving a bit slow without a better drive train. Basically speaking, we should have caught Kimura at the very least."

"Okay, back to the matter at hand, something has gotta give somewhere along the way. We have to clean up every highway, intersection, and expressway in this fucking lawbreaking town! Right now, we're just sitting down like bitches and taking it! I'm not going to put up with it anymore!"

"How?" another SRS member said. "The racers are getting smarter and smarter over the days."

"We scrap ALL Mitsubishi GTO police cars first. They suck, plain and simple. Second, we start locking cities down, patrol every corner on EVERY street. That'll ensure no more racing in Kyoto."

"No, because Chief--"

"Shut it, Satoshi! Meeting Adjourned!"

The entire SRS (excluding Hiromusi) left the police department, with Satoshi making faces at her, in which her only reply was a middle finger. She took out a walkie-talkie of the building and said, "All clear. Bring out the disciple. I don't care if he still has 4 months left in his sentence, JUST DO IT! 10-4, over and out."

Hiromusi also left the building and got in her NSX, with no sign of Satoshi's appearance.

"Ryo, you and your car will be mine... and so will anyone else if they stand in my way..."

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

There was a finish line just in front of the porch of Ryo's house. Kami and Sadatake had already reached the destination via a shortcut between Ryo's house and another. The first car seen crossing the line was Ryo's Eclipse, with Suki's Supra just after it. Then came Mizuki's Civic, Yoshio's R34, Kazushi's 350Z and finally, Takeshi's RX-7.

"Yes! ImportMachine is back!", said Kami in a low volume. And as Ryo got out of the car, she gave him a tight hug, saying "Oh, Ryo, I knew you would win, but Mr. Talk and Watch over here doubted it."

"Pretty impressive, Ryo", said Yoshio.

"Hey, what'd I tell you, Yoshio?" said Takeshi, overflowing with glee due to the race results. "Ryo is the best in KYOTO!"

"I guess you've improved some since your second impound, Suzuki", Suki quietly said as Sadatake went back to her side. "You're not as slow as most people think, me being one of them. Still, Kyoto is in a crisis because of the other big three cities, so watch yourself out there.

And as Suki and the Tanakas took off, Ryo began thinking to himself. The three big cities? What is she talking about?

"Man, don't worry yourself about Suki's bullshit death threats" said Takeshi moments after her Supra completely disappeared and headed back north. "We all know that's just a bunch of mama drama coming out of her mouth."

"Meh, I suppose. I suggest everyone get some sleep; Hiromusi may be watching somewhere."

"I'll see you later, I guess..." Kami said, and took off for Kyotanabe.

"Wait, where do WE live?"

"Man, just come inside."

"Fine", said both Takeshi and Yoshio, and the three all went inside Ryo's house.


	5. 4: The Disciple Returns

**Chapter 4: The Disciple Returns...**

The next morning after the race between Suki and Ryo, the same officer who released Ryo went to release another street racer, this time, one who was four times more dangerous at the wheel than ImportMachine and Kasumi combined. One who had served a sentence of a full year. One who had destroyed over 500 police cars – 392 of them from the SRS – in his entire career. This "one" was the "Street Disciple" himself, Kenji Wakatsuki.

"Out, please", said the officer, escorting Kenji to the front door.

Kenji said nothing the entire walk. All he did was walk with the officer to the car. Kenji also didn't question the officer at the car, either. He just silently went in the back, staring straight. It didn't take long, however, for the officer to get on Kenji's bad side, even after he reached the impound lot.

"Hey, if I ever see you on those streets again..."

Kenji didn't even pay attention. He just continued to walk inside the lot.

"Hey, are you listening to me, boy?!

The officer decided to interfere with his walking path, which only made the situation worse...

"Hey, boy! You better speak to an officer of the law when he's speaking, do you understand?"

It all went downhill the moment he put his hand on Kenji's shoulder. Kenji's response was quickly grabbing the officer by the shirt, then pushing him against the fence, trapping the officer.

"If you value your career", Kenji said in very low voice. "I suggest you move on and go away."

The officer stumbled trying to get back to the patrol car. When he managed to do so, he drove away as fast as possible, leaving Kenji with his Honda S2000, with the keys on the hood...


	6. 5: Drift School

**Chapter 5: "Drift School"**

"What do you mean you've never been drift racing in your whole life?" asked Takeshi, after hearing the news from Ryo, walking to Ryo's Eclipse in the afternoon.

"He means that he's never drifted a day in his life, duh", Yoshio answered.

"Dude...why not?"

"It's just not my thing", said Ryo, "I'm more into sprint races on the highway. Drifting on an oily track in parkades or stadiums... not so much."

"Dude, what you need to do is to start kicking it sideways. You'll never be street king of Kyoto going in a straight line."

"Tell that to Kenji Wakatsuki. He has never drifted in his life", Yoshio stated, "and he still holds the crown of the Street Disciple to this day."

"The guy's overrated, like most of Ryo's game collection."

"Kenji's not overrated whatsoever. You're just making up bullshit excuses for your loss to him."

"Say what, Yoshio?" asked Ryo.

"Yeah, Takeshi got destroyed by Kenji in a race from in the middle of the Tokyo Metropolis all the way to Kyotanabe. The best part was that Takeshi had a Honda S2000, which is Kenji's now. And what did Wakatsuki have, a 180SX? It hurt so bad, Takeshi is into drifting right now, where Kenji won't be. That would explain the mis-matched rims on his RX-7."

The three jumped into the car and drove out of the cul-de-sac.

"Geez, Tak. Whooped by a 180SX?", asked Ryo. "That must have been some good stuff, whatever you were on. Can I I get that, by any chance?"

"Oh, you both make me-- OH SHIT, IT'S HIROMUSI!"

While Takeshi and Yoshio ducked to avoid being seen, Ryo just looked across Hiromusi. Satoshi looked over to try and identify the two, but got no luck. But all Hiromusi did was give Ryo a blank stare and pointed at him before they peeled out.

"What the hell was that all about?" asked Takeshi after sitting back up in the backseat.

"Don't know to be honest", said Ryo.

"Me neither, but one thing's for certain", said Yoshio. "She'll be back..."

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

During this, a betting club in the back of a parkade was taking place. Fourteen people were betting on who would take the win at the Import Tuner Drift Tournament in two days in another Tokyo parkade. One of those fourteen were Kasumi, who had a flat cap on and was more eager to throw some money down.

"Listen up, dudes, here's the sheet", a man in a suit said. "We've got an 8-man match here. There's a Full Race 180SX, a Drift Emperor SRT-10, a Venom Volt S2000, a Kobel/Stone IS350, an Eibach RX-8, a GReddy Evo X, a Neuspeed Evo X, and... an ImportMachine Mitsubishi Eclipse. Place your bets now. Oh, and this is winner-take-all so whoever guesses right gets money in their pocket."

"I got bets on that sweet S2K", said one of the gamblers.

"I'm with the S2K as well", said another.

"Venom Volt for me", said a third gambler. All bets went to the Venom Volt S2000 (all bets made on it were $10,000), up until the bet went to Kasumi (the last gambler), and after about two minutes of thinking, she made her decision.

"I want $10,000 dollars on the ImportMachine Eclipse", Kasumi stated.

"Are you kidding me? Are you actually throwing money down on a riced-up Eclipse?", asked the ringleader (the one with the suit). "That thing is completely street! It's not a racer, dragster, drifter, nothing!"

"Are you just saying that because it has no major sponsor?"

"Exactly. If it's not name-brand, it is nothing. You hear me? NOTHING!"

"So just because it's not 5Zigen, Team Dynamics, Full Race, and pretty much every other aftermarket company, it doesn't get results? Listen, I have tuned every single aspect of my brother's R34 with homemade parts and he has trashed almost everyone he came across. So your statement is bullshit! REAL, TRUE, UNADULTERATED, STUPID, IGNORANT, SHOULD-HAVE-BEEN-ABORTED-WITH-A-FUCKING-COATHANGER BULLSHIT! And just to prove my point..."

Kasumi digs out of her purse further and pulls out more money.

"I double my bet. $20,000 on the ImportMachine Eclipse."

"Raising the stakes, I see? Fine, not only will you get the money, but I'll also throw a side bet in. IF the Eclipse can win the tournament FLAWLESSLY (that means without touching the wall even once), you get a free car marker, which will entire you to one free car, regardless of cost. Deal?"

"Done deal", said Kasumi, shaking hands with the guy.

"I look forward to spending $150K worth of aftermarket", he said with a grin.

"Don't count on it, asshole..."

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

"This", said Takeshi, "is the very holy land of drifting, the Ebisu Circuit."

"Wow, is it really?" asked Yoshio. "Spot fucking on, Tak."

"We would go to Autopolis, but the Super GT is occupying it. There's also a crazy highway connecting Ebisu. Not to mention, it's a great place for sprints."

"Dude" was all that came out of Yoshio's mouth. "This is by far the best place in Japan my eyes have seen."

"True, it's spectacular", stated Takeshi, "But not why we're here. We're here to get Ryo over here ready for the Import Tuner Drifting Tournament. And don't worry. I, Takeshi Hiroyori, will be your master."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" uttered Yoshio.

After finding out from Yoshio that his Eclipse had the right tuning setup when it was parked in the "Performance" garage before his race with Suki, Takeshi began lecturing the basic drift tactics to Ryo, while Yoshio raced on the long interstate he mentioned earlier.

But after such attempts, Ryo just could not seem to get it right.

"Okay, let's try something else..."

They tried a different track on Ebisu, but not even that worked.

"How about this? See if this method will work" said Takeshi, telling Ryo about the handbrake drift. But alas, to no avail.

"Okay, maybe you aren't fit for drifting... No, one more time. I believe in you, Ryo. You can drift like a fucking maniac. I know you can!"

Again, Ryo stared the track straight in its face and desperately wanted to reconsider, but he swallowed his pride and began driving.

"Okay, now first go in the straight line leading to the turn. This isn't that complex. Come on, Ryo, show me what you're about."

"Oh, great! Look at that, no crashing!"

"Don't get overconfident now. Got a lot more of track to go. Turn the steering wheel... Now clutch in, shift to the next and floor it!"

Ryo didn't have time to think about what Takeshi said, but he did it anyway and kept the car controlled after clutching out.

"Shit, I'm going sideways!"

"No, don't stop! That's a good thing. Wait for a good angle and steer in the opposite direction on my word."

Ryo's car went sideways a bit more, now at 45 degrees.

"Now?"

"No, not yet..."

It continued to drift sideways, topping at 60 degrees.

"Now?!"

"Just a little more..."

Finally, at 75 degrees, Takeshi gave the word and Ryo counter-steered to combat the traction loss. The drift was so crazy that it almost forced Takeshi from the seat. By the time the car came to a complete stop, Yoshio returned to the track to find Takeshi completely in awe.

"Tak? What's up? Tak?!"

"That... was... GREAT!" yelled Takeshi, still in awe. "What'd I tell you, Ryo? I knew you were going to knock my socks off! Now you may actually show these people that not all rice sucks in the Import Tuner Drift Tournament."

"Yeah" said Ryo, "Maybe..."

"Surprised you didn't kill yourselves, Takeshi, trying to get Ryo to drift" said Yoshio while laughing. "But in all seriousness, Ryo, good luck. You'll need it, seeing as the others are self-proclaimed professionals."

"Please, Yoshio. With me as Ryo's teacher, those foreign fucks don't stand a chance."


	7. 6: Fnf: Kyoto Drift

**Chapter 6: FnF: Kyoto Drift**

Kasumi parked in an open space at the parkade where the tournament was taking place. The thirteen other gamblers from the meet parked in a circle around her, still angry over her choosing Roy as the predicted winner. Gregory Hansen, her rival in the suit, walked over to her while she was sitting on the hood of her car.

"So are you ready to change you mind yet, Kimura?" he said, trying to intimidate Kasumi. "I'll give you one more chance to bet on another drifter."

"I stick with my decision, Hansen" was Kasumi's response. "Street drifters can do anything D1GP drifters can do."

"Okay, fine. Don't blame me for your retarded-ass moves after you lose your 20K."

Kasumi opened her WRX"s trunk, revealing a custom sound system and an LCD with coverage of the Import Tuner Drift Tournament. Being the starter, she ran off to the two starting cars. While the Tournament was about to get underway with the Full Race 180SX vs. the Drift Emperor SRT-10, Takeshi and Yoshio were getting Ryo kyped up for his match with the Neuspeed Evo X.

"So... that car" asked Ryo, pointing at the Neuspeed Evo, "is what I have to go up against first?"

"Yeah, give or take the fact that the driver's from D1GP" said Yoshio.

"As I said before" said Takeshi, "Don't worry about their drifter status. They're not gods of drifting. Hell, I beat 3 well-known D1GP drivers with the simplest of ease."

Takeshi then focuses his attention to the television, which had shown that the Drift Emperor defeated the Full Race 180SX 40,000-28,000. It was not until Venom Volt dominated the Kobel/Stone IS350 147,000-62,000 that Ryo wanted thoughts to reconsider, and the fact that the Eibach RX-8 beat the GReddy Evo X 27,000-25,750 didn't change his views.

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

Ryo began to pull into the parkade near Kasumi. Next to him was the Neuspeed Evo X, the driver's name being Winston McCloud. The minute the race started, McCloud got the jump on Ryo, but not too early to make it seem as a false start. In the first turn, he collected 10,000 points, whereas Ryo had 8,000. Turn number two was what changed the verdict entirely, as Ryo racked up 12,000 compared to McCloud's 9,000 points, and by that time, Ryo was in close range of McCloud. The final turn became the decision maker, as Ryo made 21,000 points to get the win over Winston McCloud, who only took 15,000 points in the last turn. The final score was 41,000-32,000. But just before Ryo could relax, he was rushed to his next opponent, Patrick Wilkins, the Eibach RX-8 driver.

Kasumi began the race and Ryo darted as quickly as he can to the first turn. While he received 3,000 points, Wilkins racked up 20,000 points effortlessly. The next mistake he committed was turning early, miles before the second. Therefore, he grabbed 5,000 points, but luckily, Wilkins received 250. The last turn was when Ryo showed his true skill, earning 20,000, beating Wilkins (who only had 7,500 points earned). The final score was in Ryo's favor: 28,000-27,750. Venom Volt pulled out all of the stops and drifted each chance he had to win a nail-biter over the Drift Emperor: 169,000-167,000.

Takeshi and Yoshio were celebrating in the stands, while Kasumi returned to the circle of gamblers, very happy as opposed to Hansen.

"So, Hansen, let's make a deal. You fork up the money and the free car marker right now and I'll promise I'll say nothing about this."

"I thought you said you were in it to win it, Kimura? I never thought, however, that you would get so overconfident after your bet has only won two races."

"This coming from the guy who voted on Venom Volt, who only won two races as well?"

"Whatever. I'm not going to front; your choice is drifting decent enough to make me smile. He's not hitting the wall as I expected. I like his moves a bit. Don't forget that he still has to pull off one more perfect run, not to mention beat Venom Volt, for you to get the bank and the slip."

"Thanks for the words of wisdom, Hansen. Just get my pot ready when I come back" said Kasumi, and she ran right back to the starting line where the Venom Volt driver awaited the final.

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

Ryo pulled up next to Venom Volt after another review session with Takeshi, with several taunting from other street racers.

"Confirm, please" said Kasumi to the Venom Volt driver, after which she said it to Ryo as well.

"Confirm. Are you ready? Hey, just because you beat two others means nothing. That S2K goes ball to the wall in every showdown. He'll block lanes if need be."

Ryo had a short flashback of his runs with the Neuspeed Evo X and the Eibach RX-8. Along with Takeshi, both Wilkins and McCloud gave him tips to add to his tactics.

"Hey! I forgot to mention. Speed up when you get to the final turn. There's a wider turn next to the original path on the right."

Ryo nodded to tell her that he was prepared for the race. Kasumi winked at him and stood in front of both cars to begin.

When the race begun, Ryo and Venom Volt were neck-and-neck. Even though he was in front of Venom Volt, it hit the optimal RPM, giving Kenichi Takahashi (Venom Volt's driver) the boost needed. At the first turn, Ryo used the brakes perfectly, giving him 50,000 points. The same went for Takahashi when he made his drift, and it also let him slide past Ryo.

"Whoa! Who's driving the GSX?" one of the two announcers asked, clearly having a good time.

"I don't know, but that drift was amazing! It's drafing the S2K!"

The next turn came, and Ryo had made a slight error then. He broke too late and only earned 35,000 points, and to make matters worse was that Takahashi scored another 50,000 points.

"Oh, he just lost major points, but you have to admit, that slide was gnarly!"

"You're telling me, dude! It missed the rail by 2 inches!"

The final turn was off by a mile, and Ryo was catching speed, topping at 120 MPH at the half-mile. Takahashi maintained his speed, but Ryo was advancing to 185 MPH. He refused to brake even when he was a quarter-mile's length away from the curve Kasumi suggested to him.

"He's speeding up!"

"He won't even let up on the gas! DID THE BRAKES DIE OR SOMETHING?!"

Ryo, you better know what you're doing, thought Kasumi. I'm not going to let your recklessness cost me bank and a free car.

Ryo did eventually brake at the entrance of the turn. What he used was his E-brake, after which he turned so violently, he had an angle of 85 degrees, racking up 100,000 points (compared to Takahashi's 84,999), giving Ryo the championship in both point value and in length. Takeshi and Yoshio were dancing in the stands, while Kasumi was jumping up and down joyfully and tearfully. The final score was in Ryo's favor: 185,000-184,999.

"That... was... CRAZY!" yelled Takeshi. "What'd I tell you, Ryo? Professionalism means nothing!"

"Dude", said Yoshio, astounded. "You have earned my respect now more than ever. You really are the best in Kyoto."

Kenichi Takahashi pulled up to Ryo's passenger side and congratulated him on his close win.

"Great run" said Takahashi. "We should go at it again sometime. Be seeing ya."


	8. 7: Kasumi's Little Secret

**Chapter 7: Kasumi's Little Secret**

Kasumi, still feeling overjoyed that she won the bet against the other thirteen gamblers, saw Ryo getting out of his own car, celebrating with Takeshi and Yoshio. She walked back to Gregory Hansen to collect her reward.

"I believe you owe me cash and a free car marker", said Kasumi.

"Please, that event was fixed as a bike chain", he said, desperate to keep his cut. "You know good and well that no Eclipse can drift."

"Aw, does baby want his bottle? Is he sore that his wittle Venom Volt lost? Look, dude, I would love to play 20 Questions as much as the next girl, but a deal is a deal, so pay up."

Gregory, though still angry about the outcome, hands the $150K pot and the Free Car Marker slip over to Kasumi. As soon as he left, she ran over to Ryo, moments after Takeshi and Yoshio headed for Ryo's house.

I actually beat Venom Volt? Ryo thought. You can't be serious. I actually won? Maybe drifting isn't as bad as I thought. Kind of fun, to be honest.

When he turned into the opposite direction, he was surprised by Kasumi, completely unaware and in shock the moment she hugged him tightly.

"Oh, I knew you would win this event, said Kasumi, more joyful than Takeshi was. "So what's on your mind now, Mr. Ryo Suzuki the Street Drift Champ?"

"Are you an interviewer of some sort?" asked Ryo.

"No, just an innocent girl who was watching in her car. Care to take me back to it?"

"Meh, no problem."

Ryo opened the passenger door for Kasumi, flattering her even more, and then took her back to the lower level of the parkade.

"By the way, how do you know my name?" asked Ryo.

"I've seen you in newspapers, in magazines, and on Street Fury. Here, take a look" said Kasumi, taking out a few magazines from her mini-backpack with Ryo's car featured on the cover, such as Import Tuner, Super Street, and Sport Compact Car.

"Wow. I didn't know I was so popular in Kyoto. I remember Street Fury, but that's it."

"When word got out that Hiromusi busted you, the entire prefecture got so mad; they actually wished death on her."

"Really? I wouldn't go that far. I don't want her to die; I just want her away from me."

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

"Here's my stop" Kasumi claimed, after she saw her Subaru WRX STi sitting in the exact same place it was during the argument with Gregory. Ryo, showing his politeness again, let Kasumi out of the passenger's seat, which gave her the impression that Ryo was a "gentleman street racer", more than someone with a car wanting a quick stack of bank. Halfway to her car, Kasumi wrapped her arms around Ryo's neck, as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Ryo, I' ve got something to tell you. It's a bit of a secret I've had while you were behind bars" she said, slowly coming clean.

"Yes?"

"I think for some reason..." she began, her face becoming tearful again.

"Go on..."

"...that I'm in love with you. You look so nice tonight."

The news shocked Ryo a bit. This was coming from someone he barely knew, which was only before the start of races. He didn't want to get too involved, though he didn't want to break her heart at the same time.

"You look beautiful yourself. I guess I love you, too."

With her arms still around him, the 5'9" Kasumi Kimura reached up to the 6'1" Ryo Suzuki and kissed him straight on the lips. She then checked her watch and was walked the rest of the way to her car by Ryo.

"Hey" he said just before she let go of his arm. "You never told me your name, by the way. You know me, but I don't know you."

"Oh, my name is Kasumi Kimura. I'm also Yoshio Hamamoto's cousin."

"So you're the one he's fighting with?"

"Yeah, and he does it by nitpicking the most unimportant things. He makes me so mad; sometimes I just want to fucking slap him."

"I see. Well, do you want to go out sometime? So I can get to know you more?"

"Sure, you can take me anywhere. Hell, you can take me around if you want. See you later, sweetie" Kasumi said, winking at him again. She started her car and took off, leaving Ryo in the parkade. Only one thing wandered in his mind since then.

"Now what?"


	9. 8: Hiromusi's Plan

**Chapter 8: Hiromusi's Plan**

"Why, exactly, do you want every GTO cop car scrapped, Hiromusi?" asked Satoshi after getting in the drive-thru lane in a race shop not too far from their Police Department.

"Let's put it this way, Satoshi" Hiromusi answered. "When was the last time you've seen a GTO PC catch a Code 6 Driver?"

"To be honest, a better question would be, 'When was the last time you've seen an SRS member catch any Code 6 Driver as of late?' We make blind people accurate with how things are going."

"True..."

Hiromusi realized that she and Satoshi were the next ones in the driveway. She pulled her Honda NSX to the order window.

"Hello and Welcome to the Kyoto City Noodle House. May I take your order?"

"Yeah, I'll take a large Crab Fried Rice for me, and... a medium stir fry for my friend."

"That'll be 1200 Japanese yen."

When Hiromusi and Satoshi got their orders, they took a spot in the parking lot and ate there.

"So, what's going to replace the GTO cop cars if you're getting rid of them all?" asked Satoshi curiously.

"Two cars, which seem to be a street racer's treat, Satoshi" Hiromusi answered.

"And they are...?"

"A 1999 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R. Fast, reliable, and cheap, this baby packs a wallop and can stop criminals within a matter of seconds. The second; a 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STi. While not as fast as an R34, it has a knack for getting through gears quicker than body fluid. Plus, its suspension is state-of-the-art, which makes it durable to outlast even the more focused racers."

"I see where you're coming from..." said Satoshi, but at the same time, he thought, You should have chosen the new R35 GT-R instead of the R34.

"I'm going to call Katsuko and tell her about my plan, then we'll hold another SRS meeting discussing it."

She found out that she was out of Crab Fried Rice, and then she asked Satoshi, "Are you going to finish that?"

Satoshi handed it to her, and Hiromusi ate the remaining stir fry.

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

"Okay, any questions?" asked Hiromusi at the meeting.

"Sounds like a good plan, Matsudaira" said Chief Kazutoshi Kobayashi. "Just one thing; if you're kicking Ihara out of your car, what's he going to do?"

"I decided to give him his own R34 or WRX police cruiser from the car lot, whichever he chooses."

"Also, why do you think we should buy aftermarket parts in our PCs?"

"It's like I said, Chief. To catch a street racer, we have to think like one. With Hamamoto, we got close but failed at the last minute, and I don't even want to go into the chase with Kimura."

"You read too much manga" said Satoshi.

"Speak for yourself, Satoshi."

"Um... right" he said, hiding his issue.

"Good stuff, Matsudaira. You take Ihara down to the lot; Oimikado and I will assign officers to their squads and police cruisers. Meeting Adjourned."

Hiromusi took Satoshi to the car lot, in which he picked an R34 for his cop car. He didn't want a WRX, having remembered Kasumi's part of the Hamamoto-Kimura chase.

"Hey, why'd you throw me out of your car, anyway?" he asked.

"Because you spilled some of your stir fry on the passenger's seat earlier, not to mention the fact that you're lazy as all get out" said Hiromusi, after Satoshi got in his R34.

"Wow, you're such a busybody, Moosie. No wonder you're no fun as compared to myself and other SRS members."

"STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO ME! THE ONLY REASON YOU SEEM LIKE FUN IS BECAUSE YOU SCREW AROUND ALL DAY! Besides, the way you said that pissed me off! AND I BET YOU GOT THAT NAME FROM HAMAMOTO, DIDN'T YOU?!" Hiromusi shouted, and after that, she took off moments before Satoshi started his car.


	10. 9: Ricer's Paradise

**Chapter 9: "Ricer's Paradise"**

Over at Ryo's house, Yoshio was co-playing (with Takeshi) a game they both enjoyed, both as children and as current teenagers: Kirby Super Star on the SNES. Ryo was watching from the couch and Kasumi was listening to J-Pop on her laptop while skimming through her e-mail and car designs. A few moments into the activities, Ryo's house phone rang, and he stumbled on his couch on his way to pick it up.

"Hello?"

On the other side of the conversation was Kami.

"It's me, Kami."

"Kami? Where have you been all this time?"

"I'm still at my house. It's because I caught a cold after Suki left. I'm not sure if I can be over at Kyoto City in a while, since they restricted me in Kyotanabe."

"They?"

"My parents."

"Oh, well. Get well soon, Kami. Bye."

Ryo hung up the phone, while Yoshio asked him to continue playing the game with Takeshi. Yoshio sat next to Kasumi, who was still going on about the car designs.

"Yo, Kasumi, what's up?" he asked.

"Don't talk to me, Yoshio. I'm still mad as hell at you" she said through her teeth.

"Over... what?"

"I'm just kidding, Yosh. Sheesh, lighten up a little."

"That didn't sound like a joke... Hey, what are you doing anyway?"

"Picking out designs for my car. The one on it right now is getting stale."

"Hey" said Yoshio while Ryo sat down next to Kasumi. "That gives me an idea."

"What?"

"Kyoto has a very weal hold over most of Japan, street-scene wise, right?"

"Yeah..."

"And we could always use extra bank when shit goes down, right?"

"Oh my God, Yoshio. Get to the damn point, already."

"I'm thinking... if we could open up a chopshop!"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Kasumi happily at first, but then lost emotion. "But... where in heaven's name will we put it?"

"In the garage next to Ryo's house... I mean, if it's vacant."

"It's cool" said Ryo, telling them there was no one inside the garage.

"Thanks, dude. You won't regret this, I swear" said Yoshio, and ran off to the vacant garage."

"Thank you, Ryo" said Kasumi, smiling pleasantly. She then kissed him on his cheek and followed Yoshio.

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

Takeshi slept on a bunk bed next to Ryo's one television, since there were no bedrooms in his house. Ryo gave Kasumi his blanket (after washing it) and couch for her to sleep in, leaving Ryo himself with a love seat. Yoshio, however, continued working on the garage overnight. Takeshi was the first to wake up, trying to get Yoshio in the house.

"Dude, it's 9:00 in the afternoon. You've been working on that since 9:00 PM yesterday. Come on and-- WHOA."

Takeshi ran back to the house, almost tripping over the front porch in the process, and tried to wake Ryo up.

"Dude, get up! You're not going to believe this!"

He also tried to wake Kasumi up as well.

"Hey, Kasumi! You must see this garage! It's AWESOME!"

"Man" said Ryo in a very tired way. "What is it, Takeshi? I'm trying to sleep."

Ryo looked out the window while Kasumi was yawning, already achieving her eight hours of sleep. They both walked to the garage and was amazed by what they saw. What they also saw was two cars (one was a Mitsubishi 3000GT, another, a Mazda RX-8), the drivers being revealed once the doors went up.

"Hey guys (and Kasumi)" Yoshio said, making Kasumi scoff, turning her head with her arms folded. "I have finally finished designing my chopshop! I call it... the Ricer's Paradise!"

"Impressive stuff, Yosh" said Takeshi. "But do you think that it could wait until noon?"

"It is noon, you dope" said Ryo.

"Seriously? It's noon already?"

"That's what my cell phone says" Kasumi said.

"Oh, and I'd like you to meet my long-time friends, Harumi Watanabe and her RX-8, right there" Yoshio continued, pointing at it. "This is Tokiie Yamaguchi and his 3000GT, right here."

The best Harumi and Tokiie could do when they first met Ryo and Takeshi was smile in a shy way, since they never met one of the two. When Harumi, however, however, found Kasumi, it was like junior high all over again, shrieking at each other, sharing hugs, and giving memories at the same time.

"Harumi, you'll be in charge of Paint and Graphics, Tokiie will do Car Specialties and Accessories, I'll do bodywork, and Performance and Tuning will be--"

"Me" said Kasumi, still hugging Harumi.

"Yep, so let's get Ryo's car worked first."

Takeshi, depressed and still looking at the hugging between Kasumi and Harumi, said, "Wow, I never knew that girls hugging other girls was that much fun..."

"No comment..." said Kasumi.

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

"We're only doing Ryo's ride?" asked Tokiie, sitting at a table with the other staff members of Ricer's Paradise. "What about the other four cars?"

"We fixed up Yoshio's R34 and my WRX up a year ago, remember?" said Kasumi.

"Oh."

"Skipping the stupid question, what are we going to do with Ryo's '99 Eclipse GSX?" asked Yoshio. "Turn it into a rice burner, perchance?"

"To a decent percentage" said Harumi, "yes, but not fully."

"I already know I have to tweak its performance, about close to 400 BHP."

"That's reasonable. What bodykit do you think I should slap on, the Vapor from Nismo or the Mantis from C-West?"

"I'd say Mantis" said Kasumi, with Tokiie and Harumi agreeing. "That front lip on Vapor is ugly."

"Not as much as you, though" Yoshio whispered, to which Harumi slapped him.

"There's trunk audio we need; JL Audio can provide that. Neon, Custom Gauge, Window Tints, N20 Purge and Scissor Doors are a must as well."

"I've got word from Harumi that she asked Ryo what paintjob he wants. Kasumi, you tune the car first. Let's do this!"

After Kasumi was finished tuning Ryo's car, it went to Yoshio for a few bodykit, keeping the car's wing stock in the process. Next was Harumi's paintjob (requested by Ryo himself), after which came Tokiie's installment of car accessories he wrote on a list. Three hours later, the four introduced Ryo to his new custom '99 Eclipse GSX. This was a result of Ryo having another call from Kasumi (using her cell phone) with the OK, calling him over along with Takeshi.


	11. 10: Showcase Showdown

**Chapter 10: Showcase Showdown**

"Dude, what did they do to your Eclipse?" Takeshi asked Ryo.

"I don't know" said Ryo, "but they did an AWESOME JOB! They even kept the car's spoiler stock, just the way I like the GSX!"

"Plus" Tokiie added, "There's neon and car audio everywhere! You've also got window tint, custom gauges, and N20 purge!"

"Not to mention the paintjob and vinyls you wanted are just the way you like it!" Harumi exclaimed.

"Do you realize what this means, man?" Takeshi asked. "With our driving skills and Ricer's Paradise modding rides, we can actually rock the other big three cities to their core!"

Praise of Ryo's car and the skills of the Ricer's Paradise crew filled the air, with the exception of Kasumi, finishing her stir fry she had for dinner the night before. When she did finish, she halted all the activity in the garage.

"Let me ask you guys something: Is this car really that good, compared to others?" she asked, adjusting her glasses.

"Of course it is" said Yoshio in defense. "We tuned and modded it, didn't we?"

"Yosh, that... proves... NOTHING! Even if the ride looks good to one person, it may not get the same response from others."

"Good point. So you're saying you hate this ride?"

"No, brainiac. I actually like the design and accessories. Even the results on the dyno turned out better than I thought. 375 BHP is just "wow"! I'm just saying that others might have differing opinions on a custom compact."

"So... what should we do?"

Kasumi heard her laptop ringing to find out that she had a new e-mail message (her address was goddessofsetsuna497). She opened the message as Ryo and the others gathered around her. Once again, Suki Tanaka had another challenge up her sleeve.

"Hey" said Yoshio. "If Suki is challengeing Ryo, then why the hell did she e-mail Kasumi?"

"Beats me" was all Ryo had to say. "I wonder what she meant by that 'another challenge' dialogue."

"Perfect" declared Kasumi.

"What is it?" asked everyone.

"Mizuki challenged Ryo to a showcase duel."

"Showcase duel?" asked Ryo. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Glad you asked, Ryo. Showcase duel is a battle between two cars to see which one is better tuned. The rides will be judged by visual appeal and performance quality. The MC and a few others will meet to see which one they will pick and the most appealing car wins."

"Sounds simple enough" said Yoshio, "considering the fact that Mizuki has a Civic Si. You should be able to beat her effortlessly."

"I wouldn't count on it, Yosh. Suki can be crazy with any Tanaka Inc car. Remember, she used the perfect base color to fit the tiger, has the best bodykit made for a Supra, and can smash strips in 6.5 seconds or less."

"Good point."

"Care to escort me to Daikoku, Ryo?" asked Kasumi with a smile.

"No problem."

"Thanks, Ryo. You find a way to make me so happy."

Ryo and Kasumi went out of the door and drove to the Daikoku Futo with Ryo's Eclipse.

"Lovebirds, I swear" said Yoshio. "Fuck!"

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

Ryo and Kasumi arrived at the Daikoku Futo at 8:50, 10 minutes earlier than Tanaka Inc. Yoshio, with his R34, took Harumi, Tokiie, and Takeshi with him and arrived 5 minutes later.

"I hope you guys knew what you were doing" said Ryo.

"Trust me, we had the blueprints planned out" Kasumi declared. "We may be ricers ourselves, but we at least have taste."

"What I'm really worried about is the Performance department. With only 375 BHP in this thing, anyone could top that nowadays."

"Are you saying... that you hate my tuning skills?" Kasumi asked. "I can't believe you would upset me like that!"

"No, it's not like that! I didn't mean--! I meant, I appreciate your tuning is what I meant to say..."

"Okay, love-fest over" said Yoshio. "Suki and her goons are here."

With the arrival of Suki's Supra, Kazushi's Fairlady Z, Sadatake's Evo, and especially Mizuki's Civic, Yoshio parked his R34 behind Ryo. He, Harumi, Takeshi, and Tokiie and stood next to Ryo's car after Kasumi got out of the passenger's seat and stood next to the hood. The same went for Tanaka Inc next to Mizuki's Civic.

"Now" said the host, MC Blue Ninja, "I'm pretty sure you know how this works. What we're going to do is showcase every department of these two rides. We'll start with Bodywork, after which will be Paint and Graphics, next is Car Accessories, and we'll end it with Performance. My peeps and I will then judge the cars based on each criteria and we'll pick which one is the best."

The first area was the Bodywork. Ryo's GSX was equipped with a Spyder bodykit, complete with a carbon fiber hood, custom headlights and taillights, a bigger exhaust tip, and with Volk GT-7 rims accompanying the Yokohama tires. Mizuki's Civic – worked by Kazushi – had a widebody kit instead, the rims were Enkei RT6, and the hood remained stock due to the kanji that came with the Tanaka Inc vinyl. She had custom headlights and taillights as well. Next came Paint and Graphics. Harumi paid close attention to detail when she had Ryo's GSX painted yellow with a special vinyl to go with it (she was part of Japan's Art Factory). Mizuki had made the vinyls on her Civic herself (same with the other cars of Tanaka Inc). Neither car had a single sponsors decal. Car Accessories came right after the department before it. Tokiie worked long and hard on the accessories for Ryo's ride, especially with the truck audio. Along with the matching yellow neone, the supersport custom gauges, the dark black window tints, and the gold N20 purge, he had installed two JL Audio subwoofers, accompanied with 1000 volts from the same company, and to go with that, two 5.5 inch Alpine LCDs. With Sadatake's help, Mizuki had wowed the judges with her own custom gauges, trunk audio (also from JL Audio and, instead of Alpine, Kenwood), and N20 purge, but what really stood out was the black neons installed everywhere. Last up was Performance, which caused major pressure on Kasumi as opposed to Suki, who remained calm.

"Dyno results, please" said Blue Ninja.

Despite Kasumi worked herself to near death tuning Ryo's ride, Suki was just the better mechanic. She tuned Mizuki's Civic to an oustanding 556 BHP, while Ryo's GSX only pulled 375 horses (with Kasumi expecting 600). Blue Ninja and the others (Snake and Lil' Shogun) then went on to discuss who would win the duel, making their decision in 5 minutes.

"Okay" said Blue Ninja. "With the bodywork, Hamamoto did an awesome job with the blueprint. You also kept the wing on the '99 GSX stock. The only gripe we have is the rims, they don't match the ride perfectly. Kazushi, it always is nice to have a widebody kit sometimes. This, unfortunately, is not one of those times. Like the clean look on the rest of the car though."

Yoshio quietly celebrated his good work on the bodykit, while Kazushi walked back to his car in shame.

"Now, we go to the Paint and Graphics. Watanabe, you should be a fashion designer, because you hooked up this yellow street racer perfectly. Mizuki, though I like the style of your vinyl, it isn't "CRAZY" enough."

Mizuki just nodded her head, while Harumi walked back with Yoshio.

"Now this is where ImportMachine went downhill: in Car Accessories. Yamaguchi, we don't mind the N20 purge and the neons. It's the custom gauge we hate. I know you're not exactly top-notch, but this isn't what I'd expect from you. I know you can do better. Sadatake, you did a great job with everything, including the scissor doors. They really don't look bad with this one."

Tokiie just walked back up against Yoshio's R34 while Sadatake took a walk back to his Evo, after high-fiving Suki.

"Finally, Performance. Kimura, WHAT HAPPENED? You tuned Nakamura's Supra at over 900 horses, but you tune a more superior tuner at only 375 horses? I'm a bit disappointed."

While Kasumi did accept Blue Ninja's criticism, she began to cry, burying her face onto Ryo's shoulder. Blue Ninja then went on to praise Suki's tuning of Mizuki's Civic, at 556 BHP, smashing 9 seconds (which was great for a front-wheel-drive car). He called everyone back to the circle, Kasumi still weeping about her lackluster skill.

"There were ups and downs of every ride, but our decision was made, and we choose... the 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX."

All except Kasumi (still crying) celebrated Ryo's second win over Tanaka Inc. Suki, instead of calling the win a setup, just handed Ryo the bank and headed home, after which ImportMachine did the same.

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

"Don't beat yourself up, Kasumi" said Yoshio. "So you didn't do as well as expected. We still won the showcase duel."

"That's not why I'm crying" Kasumi said with a breaking voice. "I'm crying because this is the first time I've disappointed a customer. I bet Ryo's upset at me."

"No, he's cool. I bet there was something you forgot--"

"Oh, yesh. I forgot Hirohata's special turbocharger upgrade."

"WHAT?!" everyone except Ryo said.

"Well, now we know why his engine sucks. You can be forgetful at the worst of times, Kasumi, I swear."


	12. 11: Paula Galliano's Big Move

**Chapter 11: Paula Galliano's Big Move**

Miles over the Pacific Ocean was a first-class airplane bound for the Haneda Airport, coming from Los Angeles, California. Passengers from America had boarded and filled the plane, either wanting to visit their relatives or moving from America to Japan. One passenger moving to Japan, in particular, was Paula Galliano, who was thrown out of her household because of her constant "issues" with the LAPD (about 14 busts and 4 impounded cars – an '03 Volkswagen Golf GTi, an '04 Hyundai Tiburon, an '05 Corvette C6, and an '06 Volkswagen R32). Paula decided to move to Tokyo, where her desire for the illegitimate sport will be appreciated rather than tossed aside by her native state, mostly by her parents. With the plane close to Tokyo, she had finished her breakfast containing two buttermilk pancakes, scrambled eggs, toast, and orange juice.

Such a delicious meal, Paula thought, yet I'm still thirsty. A few moments later, she asked, "May I have more orange juice, stewardess?"

The stewardess of the plane took Paula's empty glass and filled it again with orange juice, giving it back to her. She drank her second glass of orange juice and, although she didn't think it was a big deal, spilled some on her shirt. Reason for that was because the plane had made touchdown at the airport, causing it to shake slightly. Once Paula stepped off of the plane, she had grabbed her luggage and walked to the parking lot. In the far back of the parking lot was her new car, a pink 1999 Honda Civic CX (hatchback version). After nearly breaking her back to stuff her luggage in the trunk, she peeled the front-wheel tuner out of the lot and into the tsunami of street racers and pedestrians that is the Tokyo Prefecture.

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

Paula entered the Tokyo Metropolis at a blistering 165 MPH, dodging traffic left and right with the simplest of ease. When she stopped next to a spotlight, she noticed Kenji Wakatsuki pulling up next to her, in his Honda S2000. Paula winked and smiled at Kenji, taking interest in him with only 10 seconds of noticing him. He then pointed straight, telling her to meet at an abandoned house somewhere along the Metropolis. As soon as the light turned green, he peeled out and went at an incredible speed of 197 MPH, with Paula right behind him at 191 MPH. A few stoplights later, Hiromusi interfered, blocking Paula, while Kenji backed off and drove to the abandoned house. She had also brought Katsuko with her as replacement for Satoshi.

"Wow, lady" she said. "Did you pick the wrong street to ever run on? This... just a nice car. Rims, bodykit, vinylwork... Hey, Katsuko, do you think Chief would love to see this back at HQ?"

"Oh, I think he would" Katsuko answered, both of them playing mind games with Paula.

"So, here's what's about to go down. One, we'll take your car. Two, tear it apart, see if it's street legal. There, if it is breaking laws, you'll be hauled off to jail. No ifs, and, or buts about it. Hey, Katsuko, see if we can get a warrant for her arrest."

"I'm on it, Hiromusi."

During the warrant request, Hiromusi began talking to Paula again, "Listen, lady. Street racing in Japan is finished, kaput, over. Once every city is on lockdown, my friend Satoshi has a big surprise for all of Japan to ensure that not a single rice burner remains."

"What?! No clearance?!" yelled Katsuki, which was replied to by incomprehensible static.

"Fuck" Hiromusi whispered, then slammed her fist onto Paula's hood. "Be thankful, brat, because next time, you won't be so lucky. Oh, and by the way..."

Hiromusi took out her car keys and began key-scratching Paula's Civic. She then added insult to injury by notifying her that she was enjoying the key-scratching. The moment Hiromusi reached Paula's headlight, she swiped her keys off and said, "Nice pinstripe". Hiromusi, with Katsuko, took a right from where they parked and Paula moved on.

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

Later on, Paula noticed she had company, as a Japanese Serpent (Northern Kyoto) MX-5 Miata, driven by Satomi Shigenoi, stopped next to her at another stoplight, giving Paula the idea that she wanted to race. And as soon as the light turned green, they both took off for Hamura, a distant city in the prefecture. Satomi took an early lead, but Paula wasn't too far lost. Satomi, still leading, merged onto a traffic-jammed highway, while Paula merged onto the oncoming side of the highway, both women doing everything they can to avoid possible accidents. After said highway, Paula jetted ahead and kept speeding until Central Hamura was in her sights, smashing the emergency brake once she arrived there, knowing she had beaten Satomi. All she could do then was finish by driving the rest of the way to Kenji's hiding spot.


	13. 12: Tiger, Dragon, ImportMachine

**Chapter 12: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Speeding ImportMachine**

"Hey, guys, I'm back from Kami's house" said Ryo. "She said she's completely cured of--"

Unexpectedly, Kasumi snatched Ryo's car keys with a quick "thank you"/

"Erm... what was that about?"

"She forgot the turbocharger upgrade" said Yoshio. "You know, the one that could have given Ryo an easy win, decreasing the chance of a tie!"

"Oh, shut up and keep your hurtful comments to yourself, you bully!"

"Huh" said Takeshi. "Surprised she didn't call you a stupid-head or a dum-dum or a poopyhead."

"She's not that immature, Tak."

Ten minutes later, Kasumi finished installing the turbocharger kit (included with an intercooler) and let the others know so she can begin the dyno test. She called Yoshio up to describe the new results when the test finished.

"So after the installation of the turbocharger kit, complete with an intercooler, from Hirohata's" she declared, "this '99 Eclipse now has 603 BHP, equipped with 569 pound feet of torque."

"You did bother to give him a six-speed transmission with that turbo kit, right?" asked Yoshio.

"It's covered already, Yoshio. Don't ask me about the brakes, nitrous, and suspension either, because those are taken care of, too."

Kasumi climbed on the dyno and in Ryo's car, with the keys still in her hand. She started the ignition and slammed the pedal down with all of her might, the six-speed automatic transmission shifting gears in the process. This continued until the car redlined in its sixth gear, topping at 201 MPH. The other specs were getting to 0-60 in 4.5, and 0-100 in 7. Yoshio saw the results, and although he was impressed, he noticed a slight problem.

"Hey, Kasumi?" he asked her. "I thought you said that this thing was supposed to reach 210 or more?"

"What do you mean?" Kasumi asked.

"All I got on the dyno was 201 MPH."

"No way. That means there's something in this car holding it... TOKIIE, GET DOWN HERE AND SCRAP THE DAMN TRUNK AUDIO! IT'S SLOWING RYO'S CAR DOWN!"

"Fine" said Tokiie from the porch of Ryo's house. As soon as he got to the garage, Kasumi packed her purse and started her car.

"Where are you off to?" asked Takeshi, to which she replied, "I have to go to my karate class."

"She's a black belt in case you didn't know" informed Yoshio.

I'm going out with a girl who takes karate and tunes Japanese cars AT THE SAME TIME, Ryo thought. It's a bit weird, but she does have a great combination of sweetness and beauty with it, so I can't knock that.

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

At 10:00 PM, on a full-moon, Ryo headed to an alley to which he was summoned via house phone and found none other than Suki Tanaka, by herself this time, sitting on her Supra's hood. Ryo got out of his car and stood next to the driver's seat.

"Now what do you want, Suki?" asked Ryo, fed up at this point. "If it's another challenge, leave me out of it."

"Not this time" Suki responded. "It's about an urgent matter, and it involves our friendly neighborhood Hiromusi Matsudaira."

"Oh, great, like I need her on my case at this time."

They didn't notice it until its headlights shined on them, but a yellow Nissan 180SX pulled up to Ryo and Suki bearing the Japanese Serpent insignia (a tear graphic on both the hood and the sides, with a dragon on the sides). The driver was the leader of the Northern Kyoto crew, Shin Yoshizawa, and with him was Megumi Matsumoto, his fabricator.

"You are Ryo Suzuki, correct?" he asked to verify that it was actually Ryo and not one of Hiromusi's undercover officers.

"Yes, yes, I am" Ryo answered.

"Good, then we can let you in on Matsudaira's new gig. Just to let you know, I was the one that called you here."

"What new gig?" asked Suki. "You mean she's got a new plan or something?"

"Exactly. Rumor has it in the underground that Hiromusi's junked every single 3000GT cruiser in Japan. She's replaced them for what seems like R34 Skylines. I heard that she also gave Satoshi his own car and his own squad. I've also heard that when the time comes, she'll start locking Japan down and fill them with officers on every corner, every street, every intersection, every ward, and it goes on..."

"I can't believe that bitch Hiromusi" said Ryo angrily. "Why can't she just leave us to our noble sport and back off?"

"Because of that bullshit excuse of 'collateral damage'" Suki answered. "I swear, she throws mythology out there."

"That's why I asked you two for help. I want the three of us to go on a dangerous cruise, see if we can show Moosie that her plan is flawed."

Ryo and Suki looked at each other and then, a few moments later, said, "We're up for it."

Shin led Ryo and Suki out of the alleyway and into another street, occupied by three police R34s. Suki noticed that they were sleeping on the job, and slammed into the right-most R34, initiating the pursuit.

"UESHIMA TO MATSUDAIRA!" yelled the officer. "Street racer just hit me, request to initiate pursuit!"

"Request granted" Hiromusi responded. "Wait, who's the driver that slammed into you?"

"I believe it's Suki Tanaka, ma'am."

"Tanaka slammed you? Is Suzuki with her in his yellow Eclipse GSX?"

"Affirmative."

"Good! Start the chase immediately! I don't care if you let Tanaka or Yoshizawa escape; just focus on Suzuki!"

"10-4."

The left-most R34 chased after Shin, while the center R34 pursued Suki, and the one Suki hit began going after Ryo. He did a quick 180 and started heading north. Three more cars joined the chase and the pressure started to get to Ryo quickly. But he found the legs of a balcony and smashed them, crumbling on top of the cop cars, ending the chase there. He then went into an alleyway and hid there for 2 minutes to lay low.

"Hey, Suzuki, you still there?" asked Shin on a walkie-talkie.

"Yeah. I lost them."

"We need to hold a meeting on this problem. I'll bring my crew and Suki will bring hers to Ricer's Paradise and discuss how we're going to reclaim this continent."

"Cool. I'll see you then" said Ryo as he cut off the walkie-talkie.


	14. 13: Irresistible Sweetness

**Chapter 13: Irresistible Sweetness**

**From: **goddessofsetsuna497

**To:** arashininja600

**Subject:** "Hey, date tonight! ;)"

"Hey, Ryo, it's Kasumi. How are you doing? Hey, I let you into my heart after you beat Takahashi in the drift tournament, so you have to hold up your end of the bargain. You have to take me on the date you promised. Pick me up from the dojo at 7:00. I'll see you there. Make sure to treat me right and make sure this date is a good one, m'kay?"

Wishes and Kisses,

Kasumi Kimura

"Shit, it's 7:10!" yelled Ryo from his computer desk. "Why didn't you tell me, Takeshi?!"

"Why didn't you ask?" asked Takeshi, dropping the controller. "I would've let you know."

Ryo had no time to waste. He grabbed 2000 yen, his car keys, and his baseball cap.

"If Kami calls, tell her I'm at Bayshore Noodles. Peace!"

"Sure thing, dude" said Yoshio, still playing Kirby Super Star. "Hey, Takeshi, you know what's weird about that date?"

"What?"

"I find it ironic that Kasumi wants to go eat at a place where she put the blame on for the chase from a week back."

"She probably forgot about the chase, maybe she thought the heat died down there."

"Really? That's a pretty retarded excuse if you ask me..."

Kasumi was still at the dojo waiting for Ryo, tapping her foot with her hands on her hips. He brown beautiful hair was naked and straight. Usually, it would be either in a ponytail or two (when she was working in the Performance garage), or accompanied by either a pink, purple, or blue headband. She was wearing a pink sweater (over a white shirt) with a rabbit on the back, matching the pink shirt, which was at knee's length. On her back was her mini-backpack, and around her left shoulder, her duffel bag containing her karate uniform. When she finally did see Ryo coming, Kasumi changed the look on her face to let him know that she was angry, but at the same time forgiving.

"You're late, Ryo" she said with disappointment.

"Sorry, Kasumi" said Ryo in defense. "I got the message at 5 after 7."

"Oh, don't worry about it, sweetie. I still love you."

"Heh, thanks. So, where do you want to go eat at?"

"I want to eat at Bayshore Noodles. They have the best stir fry in Japan! Mmm-mmm!"

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

"Thank you, Ryo!" said Kasumi with joy as Ryo opened the door for her into the restaurant. When they took their seats, a waiter came to their table immediately.

"Hello, welcome to Bayshore Noodles. What would you like to order?"

"I would like some miso ramen with soy sauce" said Ryo.

"Some stir fry for me, please" said a confident Kasumi.

"I'm sorry, but not long ago, we've just run out of stir fry. Anything else, ma'am?"

"Oh... well, can I get the same as my date then?"

"Cool, it'll be ready in 15 minutes."

When the waiter left the table, Kasumi moved next to Ryo and unzipped the case to her laptop. She turned it on, placed it on her lap and asked for Ryo's undivided attention.

"I have to show you something" Kasumi said, showing him the map of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Nagasaki Prefectures. "Everything has changed for the worst since you've been hauled to jail months ago. Remember 'the other big three' that Takeshi was always talking about? The Nagasaki Yakuza, Osaka G-Mod, and Chaos Komodo of Tokyo are the other big three cities he was mentioning. You see, because of Hiromusi making the arrest, the guilt caused North and South Kyoto to start beefing, and split with ImportMachine. Now we're so busy disputing with our own factions, the Yakuza, G-Mod, and Chaos Komodo have almost taken over."

"What about Hiroshima?" asked Ryo.

"Hiroshima doesn't care about turf. They're only into the drift scene. Trust me, I know. Hiroshima backed out long time ago when the G-Mod and Yakuza started picking fights with them."

"I see. So you're saying we need to get Suki and Shin to reunite Kyoto, defend our turf from the big three, while at the same time taking their territories, and on top of that avoid Hiromusi. That's a lot of mileage."

"True" said Kasumi while putting her laptop away, "but with a driver of your skill, that shouldn't be a problem. Oh, well. Here's our dinner."

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

At 10:00 that same night, Ryo returned home with Kasumi nearly asleep on his side. When they did enter the house, he faced Kasumi and held her by the waist again.

"So, how was tonight?" Ryo asked her.

"Absolutely fantastic, Ryo" Kasumi responded. "I still wish they had stir fry, though. I kind of miss that now."

"Good thing you told me about this whole street scene thing. I would have never known that a turf war was going down on my home prefecture."

"Anytime, Ryo. Anytime you need me, I'll be there" said Kasumi in her affectionate voice as she reached Ryo's lips to kiss him again, Takeshi and Yoshio completely asleep. This kiss lasted for five minutes until Kasumi whispered "good night" and laid down face-first (actually on her cheek) into her pillow on the couch and shut her eyes. Before Ryo could sit asleep in his love couch, Kasumi invited him to sleep right next to her on the couch, as she had several nightmares, some of which included Hiromusi. When she finished asjusting her head on Ryo's chest when he fell asleep, she had closed her eyes shut, knowing she had all of Ryo Suzuki's trust at last.


	15. 14: Big Drama in Little Hamura

**Chapter 14: Big Drama in Little Hamura**

"This is Ueshima to Matsudaira. Sources confirm that all traces of the suspect has disappeared. Quadrant has been canceled and units have returned to TDs."

"What?"

"Repeat, the quadrant has been canceled. No sights of suspect since he got away."

"That's it, lockdowns start immediately!"

"What? Chief informed us that was tomorrow's duties!"

"Well, it starts immediately! First city scheduled for lock down is Hamura, Tokyo. Get on it, NOW!"

"10-4, Matsudaira. All units are beginning lockdown in Hamura as we speak."

"Hey, I need to talk to you about a gang contract. Meet me behind the Yoshimitsu Kumakubo Casino in Tokyo. I'll catch up with you there."

That same night at 11:00 PM after another failed chase in Maizuru, Kyoto, Hiromusi did everything she can in her power to push lock down through the government, which was eventually accepted. The sirens of more R34 cop cars filled the atmosphere with worry and distress of Hamura, Tokyo. One of the many street racers in the small ward, Naomi Yoshida, noticed this while looking through the one window in her house.

"Damn crooked cops" she said under her breath.

Forced to take measures, she slipped in the garage left of her house, opening its doors. Inside that garage was her one car, a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII, fitted completely with all custom parts and her own paint job. Naomi reversed it out of the garage and hit a street sign to get the squad's attention. Once she did just that, the chase officially began. Naomi's plan was to get the SRS out of Hamura and lead them to another city the minute she disappeared out of their sights. Many pleas of stopping came from the resilient police officers.

"This is Tokyo Police. Pull over now or we will be forced to take measures."

"We are airborne, right behind suspect vehicle... Suspect is in a purple Mitsubishi... Speeds have exceeded the posted limit, precisely 170 MPH and rising."

"She's not stopping, Chief. We may need a set of spikes deployed at the next intersection."

"Roger that, Ueshima. We have several WRX cop cars deploying the spile strips at the next intersection ahead, but watch your wheels, I repeat, watch your wheels."

After slicing through another roadblock, Naomi had found the spike strip set up by three WRX police cruisers at the next intersection leading to Tokyo. On the right side of that spike formation was a ramp high enough to get her past that roadblock altogether. She took the ramp, flew past the roadblock and the spike strip simultaneously, and landed on the WRX cop car behind it. She also hit a construction site, which blocked another roadway and caused a massive pile-up of cop cars. The remaining cars were instructed to back off Hamura as transmitted on Naomi's walkie-talkie, which she had stolen from another police car and then installed on her own. Naomi looked behind one last time, then headed to the Yoshimitsu Kumakubo Casino in the heart of Tokyo.

**ImportMachine – Chaos Komodo – Grand Tourer – Classic Throttle – Hiroshima Drift – Flaming Piston**

When Naomi finally reached the back of the prestigious and top-ranked Yoshimitsu Kumakubo Casino, Kenji shined the lights of his S2000 to her right. Pulling in slowly, he stopped right next to her window.

Naomi asked, "Why the hell did you call me and what do you mean by gang contract?"

"Glad you asked" said Kenji in his monotone voice. "I want you to help me not only crush this little lockdown scheme Hiromusi has set up, but also wipe Kyoto off the map. Their foundation is on its last leg."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I'm running a street racing gang by the name of Chaos Komodo in Hachioji. Let me be the first to say, what I saw in Hamura, you jumping on that cop car and clearing the spike strip, I liked."

"What's in it for me, exactly?"

"These" Kenji declared, holding a set of keys, "are the keys to a brand new 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR, sitting in my garage at Hachioji. You join up and do a favor for me and this car is yours."

It took a while for Naomi to decide whether she wanted to remain independent as a 3-year street racer or if she wanted the Evo IX and become the co-founder of Chaos Komodo. Finally she came to a difficult decision.

"Deal, but what's the other favor?"

"I need you to find me two other racers. There's this one guy named Randy "Taz" Christensen who can rack up major drift points in a single bound as rumors claim in a black Lexus IS300. The other is this rich snowflake, Welshman Showers. Drives a blue Audi S3, well-tuned and tops out at 215 MPH from the moment he peels out."

Naomi shakes Kenji's hand, keeping her promise, wanting to get the key to the Evo IX she was promised if she did find "Taz" and Welshman. She pulled out and traveled back to Hamura, which she heard was ignored for another city in Hokkaido.


	16. Preview 2130

World of Street Racing:

"**A Taste of Things to Come…"**

**The Plot Thickens…**

"I don't know who the hell you think you are, corrupting Japan wit this crap!"

"You don't know the half of it… and you never will. Sayonara, Moosie"

**ImportMachine goes professional…**

"Dude… that's a PORSCHE 911 TURBO! A Pagani Zonda! A Bugatti Veyron! Kasumi, do you have any idea what we're up against?"

"STOP BEING A COWARD A SUCK IT UP, YOSHIO! You call yourself a tuner enthusiast, but your mind power is WEAK!"

**Japan's War becomes more extreme…**

"This goes deeper than ImportMachine, deeper than the Yakuza uprise, and deeper than even Hiromusi Matsudaira. This is Grade A corruption at its finest, Kenji."

**And A New Rivalry Emerges…**

"That Satoshi Ihara… he's been a thorn in my side for too long. I'll kill him if it's the last thing I do… as far as Kanzeko is concerned… I'll need some service to end her racing career."

Spec. Guests (all from NFS:PS)

_Ryan Cooper_

_Ryo Watanabe_

_Paul Trask_

_Ivan Tarkovsky_

_Joe Tackett_

_Takeshi Sato_

_Rudy Chen_

_Ray Krieger_


End file.
